Bulk transport bag with forklift sleeves

ABSTRACT

The bulk transport bag has an opening at the top and closed at the bottom. It has four sides which are reinforced with a rigid stiffening in the shape of a crisscross. Along the two longest sides at the top of the bag, there are sleeves which have many rows of stitching attaching them to the sides of the bag. These sleeves enable the easy access of forklift tynes to slide through and pickup the bag. The bulk transport bag also has two sleeves which are attached to the bottom of the bag. These sleeves have many rows of stitching to keep the sleeves secure. These bottom sleeves protrude from the edge of both ends of the bag. The bottom sleeves are also attached to the side of the bag with one row of stitching. The bulk transport bag eliminates the need or use of pallets.

For many years goods have been stacked, lifted and stored on pallets for ease of mobility.

Pallets are an environmental menace as well as being costly, hard to obtain and even harder to dispose of.

Unfortunately transporting goods without a pallet was almost an impossibility especially when the goods were very heavy and not stable.

I have designed a bag which enables this process of transporting and storing goods in a stable bag no longer requiring a pallet.

This bag will hold weights of up to 3 tonne. It remains self standing, stable and stationery when filled and can be transported by both the top and bottom sleeves.

The two sleeves enable a forklift to carry the bag

1. When filled from the top, the bag can be lifted by the top sleeves and transported to an area required and then if necessary can lift and stack the bag into shelving by the bottom sleeve if obstructed by the top of the forklift.

2. When the forklift uses the bottom sleeve it also enables the bags to be double stacked into containers for exporting if there is a problem with the top of the forklift hitting the top of the container.

These bags are made from coated or uncoated heavy duty polypropylene or any other suitable material.

If required the bags can be made pores, which enables any liquid to be disgarded.

We have included in rigid stiffening in a criss-cross effect on all four sides. This helps to stop the bag from bulging.

The bags have a rigid stiffening piece along both of the top sleeves.

The bags are reusable can be made in many colours and can have branding or coding if required.

We have adjusted the size to enable all forklifts to be used without adjusted even after the slight bulging of the bags which will occur.

The new size 70 cm×105 cm×130 cm (as per diagram)

The bottom sleeve is open a further 10 cm under the bag to ensure if extra bulging occurs the forklift can still slide underneath and lift the bag. When doing this the middle of the bag dips, down in between the fork tynes adding an extra support and stability for the bags

No stiffening is required in bottom sleeve as an extra row of stitching along the side of the bag helps to keep the sleeve slightly open making easier access for the forklift.

This product is a very cost effective form of storage and transportation of many different types of goods. 

1. A bag having spaced and generally parallel side walls, end walls extending between corresponding side edges of the side walls, and a bottom wall extending between bottom edges of the side walls and the end walls, wherein an internal space is defined between the side walls, the end walls and the bottom wall, the internal space being accessible though an open top defined between top edges of the side walls and the end walls, the bag further including: an upper sleeve disposed adjacent the top edge of each side wall, the upper sleeves being substantially parallel with each other and configured to receive a respective forklift tine; and a lower sleeve disposed adjacent the bottom edge of each side wall, the lower sleeves being substantially parallel with each other and configured to receive a respective forklift tine.
 2. The bag of claim 1 wherein an upper portion of each upper sleeve includes a flat rigid stiffening member.
 3. The bag of claim 2 wherein each upper tine sleeve includes a first portion extending from adjacent the side wall top edge, a second portion extending from a distal edge of the first portion generally downwardly to the side wall, a lower section of the second portion being attached to the side wall, and a third portion defined by a section of the side wall between the lower section of the second portion and the first portion, wherein the flat rigid stiffening member is disposed in the first portion.
 4. The bag of claim 1 wherein the upper tine sleeves extend substantially along the entire length of the side wall.
 5. The bag of claim 1 wherein a section of each lower sleeve is under the bottom wall, and a section of each lower sleeve extends past its respective side wall.
 6. The bag of claim 1 wherein each lower tine sleeve comprises a looped sheet which extends slightly longer than the bottom edge of the side wall.
 7. The bag of claim 1 wherein the lower sleeves are attached to a middle sheet which is attached to the bottom wall.
 8. The bag of claim 1 wherein each of the side walls and the end walls include rigid stiffening members.
 9. The bag of claim 8 wherein the rigid stiffening members of the side walls and end walls are arranged in a crossed arrangement thereon.
 10. The bag of claim 1 wherein the bag is self-standing when filled.
 11. The bag of claim 1 wherein the bag is fully recyclable. 